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Module 3 – From No Words to First Drafts
Module 3 builds from what you’ve learned in the previous lessons where you learned about writing, your writing style, and understanding who you are deep down inside.
Now that you have “valuated” yourself, James moves you on to the next set of lessons where you actually start putting the pen to paper… or fingers to keys… or… you get the point!
This group of lessons is where you learn about things like headlines (how they work and how to create great ones) and how to logically map out how your going to craft your great content.
For example, James teaches us about her “Three-Sentence Mini” strategy which has helped her write content quickly, concisely and very focused.
It’s an amazingly simple strategy which has really helped me focus my writing and keep me on topic. It’s also very simple, thing is – I just haven’t thought about it.
Module 4 – Beyond Writing Basics
Module 4 is about action and focusing your writing mentality. I say focusing but it’s really more like managing it because as James points out, you have a mental staff up there in your head.
In your head you’ve got 3 workers trying to compete for your attention:
- Visionary
- The Draft Worker
- The Editor
These three mental roles going on in your head can either make or break your writing (they break it if they aren’t getting along).
James has taught me how to manage these three workers and if you allow them to jump around while you’re writing (in other words the Editor pokes her head in while the Draft worker is working), things go all to hell and it’s a recipe for disaster.
You’ll also learn about Features, Advantages, and Benefits (FAB).
Yeah I know the “you need to spell out benefits” thing has been beaten to death online, but to be honest I think a lot of people get it wrong. Many times those benefits people think they are writing are really either a feature or advantage at best.
In this module James shows you how to identify the true benefits of whatever it is you’re writing about. Remember, benefits sell, features do not.
Module 5 – The Trim, Split, and Polish Phase
Just as the module title suggests, this group of lessons is where you tighten up your copy and make it read well.
Your novel might go many places; your blog post might share tons of information; that white paper might tell people what they need to know, but if there’s too much fluff and not well organized/concise, your readers will lose interest.
Hey that’s why movies have deleted scenes. Yeah it tells information, but is it information that the viewers need to know and does it continue to add value?
Or maybe all those deleted scenes simply make the movie too long. No one wants to sit through a 4 hour movie (or read a 3000 word blog article which really could tell it all in 1000 words).
We live in an information age. You, me, and the person next door to you are use to getting information immediately and with little effort. As such, you need to know how to tighten up your writing and make it appeal to the 21st century crowd.
That’s what this module is all about.
Module 6 – Before You Release Your Work
In this final series of lessons, James gives you some concrete steps and checklists to go through to make sure what you’ve written will appeal to your audience.
For example, does your copy:
- describe a problem?
- does it have a visual factor?
- does it have an impact statement?
Those are just a few checkpoints to go through before you release your copy to the world (remember that Editor role in your head we talked about). You’ll also build your own checklist, just to make sure it’s targeted for what you’re doing.
The final lesson will of course wrap everything up and show you how you can apply everything you’ve learned in the Damn Fine Words writing course (affiliate link) to any kind of writing you do (novels, ebooks, website, blog post, etc.).
Can I Sign Up for Damn Fine Words Today?
The course is not open to new students year-round.
This is so James can insure that class sizes are not too big and each person who signs up can receive personal attention.
If you’re interested and enrollment is closed today, sign up for the DFW newsletter, get on James’ list, and you’ll be notified when doors open (2 or 3 times a year).
To your writing success!
